Deacon Al Burleigh
BREWER, Maine — Deacon Al Burleigh of St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton was named the recipient of the 2016 Monsignor Charles Murphy Deacon of the Year Award during the annual Deacon Assembly in Brewer on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.
Bishop Robert P. Deeley and Deacon Peter Bernier, the diocesan director of ministerial services, presented Deacon Burleigh with the award after communion at a special Mass celebrated at St. Joseph Church in Brewer.
“This year’s recipient is a person of deep faith, a person of integrity, and a person who exercises his diaconal ministry in a spirit of humility, evidenced by the compassion and selfless service that he offers time and again to those who are in need,” said Deacon Bernier, who also oversees the Office of the Diaconate for the diocese. “His ministry is one that embodies the meaning of charity, as he strives to champion the cause of the poor, the marginalized, and the elderly.”
Since 2013, Deacon Burleigh has worked as an outreach specialist for Catholic Charities Maine’s Parish Social Ministry, serving northern and central parts of the state. He has worked with parishes on nearly 30 direct service ministries and has started five new ministries, training more than 900 parishioners. He also assists those in immediate need, either through direct aid or connecting them with available services.
“His dedication to the social mission of the Church through his service in Catholic Charities and its parish social ministry program is a true living out of the deacon vocation to a ministry of service,” Bishop Deeley said.
“He is truly an example of being a neighbor to those in need,” said Michael Smith, director of missions for Catholic Charities Maine.
“We depend on God’s grace, his mercy, his forgiveness, and we have to put him first, then things just fall into place,” said Deacon Burleigh. “So, I am totally blessed. There is no question about it. I give him all the credit.”
Deacon Burleigh also assists Fr. Dave Raymond and works in baptismal preparation at St. Mary of the Visitation. He called the award very humbling.
“I really don’t think that I deserve it,” said Deacon Burleigh. “I think there are a lot of wonderful deacons out there who are doing much more than I am and who really deserve it much more than I do.”
A permanent deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church that is not ordained to the priesthood but to service. Deacons proclaim the Gospel and preach; baptize; witness marriages; conduct wake and funeral services; and identify the needs of others and assist in organizing resources to meet those needs. They also minister in different settings, from the traditional parish to prisons, hospitals, convalescent homes, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and many others.
